Oodles of Odonates at Awenda Provincial Park

This past week, the BIObus visited Georgian Bay Islands, Six Mile Lake, and finally Awenda Provincial Park, nestled at the tip of the Penetanguishene (meaning “land of white, rolling sands”) Peninsula in Georgian Bay. This park has both a rich geological as well as cultural history, with the area having been inhabited by humans as far back as 11,000 years ago. Archeologists have unearthed many Aboriginal sites, including those of the Wendat people (after whom one of the main trails in the park has been named) as well as the Ojibwa. The first human occupation of the area documented by archeological sites is that of the Paleo-Indians, with the land changing hands multiple times (including lumber barons and fur traders) before the current park was established.

A waterlily in the marsh at Awenda Provincial Park

Being warned by the park rangers that the waters of Georgian Bay were often turbulent due to high winds, and would therefore most likely not offer the greatest diversity of aquatic invertebrates, we stuck to the more land-locked Kettle’s Lake. With a large marsh extending off of one end of the lake and sandy shores at the opposite end, this offered a fantastic sampling site, offering up more macro (larger) invertebrates than any of our other sites on the trip.

Sampling in the marsh at Awenda Provincial ParkSoil invertebrate sampling at Awenda Provincial ParkKate recording data for the aquatic samples

We found a positive plethora of Odonate larvae (dragonflies and damselflies) in both the marsh and the lake, with several crayfish as well. Unfortunately, at least one of the crayfish we caught was the invasive Rusty crayfish, native to the Ohio River Basin in the southern United States. Characterized by its “rusty” colour as well as being larger and more aggressive than the native species of crayfish in Ontario, this invader was most likely introduced by anglers using them as bait or by people releasing pet crayfish into the wild, and has now spread to much of Southwestern Ontario.

An adult dragonfly peers at us from atop a sample jarCrayfish within the macro-invertebrates sample jar back at camp

The control of invasive species is a massive concern both ecologically and economically, and an area in which DNA barcoding has much to offer. Being able to quickly discern the presence of a foreign species at national or provincial borders, and control the entrance of these species into new areas is something that is currently next to impossible. By using genetic markers, we might be able to implement DNA barcoding in such a way that might help prevent the spread of non-indigenous species. For more information on invasive species in Ontario, you can visit www.invadingspecies.com.

I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about the various escapades this week aboard the BIObus had to offer! Until next time!

We began and finished up the week at Six Mile Lake, a small but beautiful Provincial Park nestled not far from Georgian Bay on the shores of (no surprises here) Six Mile Lake. With the smooth rolling rock of the Precambrian shield, a sandy lake bottom and marshy beaver ponds, the varying environment makes this park home to several rare plant and reptile species. Sampling both the lake and marsh areas for aquatic invertebrates, as well performing plankton tows in Six Mile Lake, we found isopods and amphipods amongst the sediment, as well as damselfly larvae, copepods, Daphnia and water mites in the water column above.

Kate and I sampling in the marshes of Six Mile Lake Provincial ParkKate and I plankton sampling with the Schindler-Patalas trapThanushi canoeing for plankton samples on Six Mile Lake

We also spent some time speaking with visitors to the park, showing kids how to net insects in the grasses and shrubs, and sharing some fun facts about insects, sampling methods, our research and life aboard the BIObus.

Thanushi and I doing some public outreach at Six Mile Lake

On Wednesday morning, we caught a ride with Parks Canada from Honey Harbour over to Georgian Bay Islands National Park (GBINP), the world’s largest freshwater archipelago. Docking at Chimney Bay on Beausoleil Island, the largest island in the park, we set out to explore the famous granite shores of this southern region of the Canadian shield.

The whole team at Georgian Bay Islands National ParkPollinators abound at Chimney Bay on Beausoleil Island in GBINP!

Hearing nearby campers’ warnings of the presence of a somewhat aggressive Massasauga rattlesnake as well as of a family of black bears, we armed ourselves with a camera and went looking for both species. The campers most likely thought we were completely insane, as apparently we were expected to run for the hills at the news of these animals. Despite our best efforts, however, we weren’t lucky enough to spot either species. We did sample the shores of Fairy Lake as well as Chimney Bay itself, finding plenty of aquatic invertebrates in both locations. While performing the mustard extraction for soil invertebrates, I was lucky to find a surprising number of millipedes (12 within our 1 foot quadrat!). Not to be confused with centipedes, millipedes are part of the class Diplopoda (meaning two feet), and have two sets of jointed legs on each of their many body segments. Rolling up into a ball when frightened, these little guys seem to be arthropod versions of an armadillo!

A millipede parading across the rocks at Fairy Lake on Beausoleil Island in GBINP

Tune in again soon to hear all about our escapades in Awenda Provincial Park!